Kym Moore
Assistant Editor
PAG E
12
Say what... Digital Magazine • Issue 34 • October 2016 • • http://saywhat.nz
haLLoween in nZ... with K idS
These days I can count on 1-5 "trick or treaters" on 31st October and I try to have
a selection of Halloween themed goodies available for those who do try their luck.
Halloween isn't everyone's cup of tea but in our house it's a great excuse to dress up in
fun costumes, have fun with friends and eat yummy candy.
We will usually go to a community event, like a light party (church run dress up parties
where you don't get the scare) or a friend's house for treats. So, what is the essence of
a good Halloween/Light party?
Costumes
It isn't Halloween without dress up. You don't have to make it scary. Any costume that
your child already has or costume pieces can come together to change their look. You
can also make a costume. A great book to read about costume making is Fifi Colston's
"Wearable Wonders" (-link-) or her other book "Ghoulish Get Ups" (-link-). One year we
did "The Paperbag Princess" where we bought a paper rubbish bag and cut out holes for
my daughter's neck and arms. Then she decorated the bag.
Games and Activities
All your traditional party games would be fine, such as Pass the Parcel or a spooky
version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. You could also add a home-made piñata (using a
balloon as the base shape for your paper mache, then filling the dried and decorated
piñata with treats). You could get the kids to make their own monster mask as well.
Give them a paper plate, some elastic string and a hole punch to put the mask together.
For decorating they can use paint, felts, crayons, stickers and anything else you wish to
include.
Treats
Try making Caramel apples by melting Jersey
Caramel lollies in the microwave for a minute
or so, until the lollies are like liquid. Then
push a skewer into the core of the apple and
dip the apple into the caramel liquid until
coated. Leave the apples on baking paper to
set before eating.
Most of all have fun. Halloween is really
just a good excuse to dress up and be silly.
Embrace being a kid, have a giggly time and
eat the candy!
I remember watching ET as a kid and wishing that we could go trick or treating. It looked
like so much fun. But no one was doing that in our street back then. Halloween is not tradi-
tionally something that we celebrate in New Zealand, and though the trend to celebrate has
changed some attitudes in recent years it can still be a polarising topic.